Pay the Cost to be the Boss? What It Takes for Women to Run Their Own Business and Why It's Worth It
BY KAYLA KICZEK, GRADE 4
“What does your husband do?” “Who watches your children?” These types of questions are frequently asked of Dr. Amanda Davis, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in mental health and eating disorders. While she doesn’t let these comments affect her, she hopes that one day society will no longer make presumptions, gender or otherwise, regarding family income.
Davis opened her own practice in February of 2019. Becoming her own boss was never on her radar when she was getting her B.A at Princeton or PH.D at Emory. She still didn’t see it in her cards when she became a clinical psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center. So how did she get to where she is today, owning her business and being an engaged mother to three young girls?
Newly married, Amanda and her husband, Nathan, uprooted themselves from New York so that Nathan could pursue a new job in Florida. Amanda gave her full support to her husband’s dream. Having an extensive resume herself, she quickly found work at a group clinic in West Palm Beach. But in an unfortunate turn of events, Nathan soon lost his job just 2 months after their first daughter was born. This left them with many financial questions because they knew they wanted a big family. To support her family, Amanda went to work full time while her husband stayed home to take care of their daughter. While this worked for their family at the time, it was still disheartening that Amanda’s job contract only let her keep around 60% of the money she brought in, as approximately 40% was taken by the company she worked for.
Dr. Amanda Davis. Amanda J. Davis, Ph.D., LLC
Starting her own practice meant that she could manage her expenses and her schedule to best fit the needs of her family. Coming full circle, it was Nathan now providing the support and encouragement to Amanda to take the leap and be her own boss. “I am able to block off time to take my kids to appointments or watch them if my husband is busy,” stated Amanda. While these are priceless perks that come with having total control, there were no doubt hiccups along the way. She wished that she paid closer attention to the numerous roles that were handled by the group clinic – including administrative duties, management, and details with insurance – because now she was the sole person responsible for these tasks. One final hurdle that Amanda faced was leaving behind a great team of co-workers. Being the one and only employee at her new practice was much lonelier.
But was it all worth it? Hands down yes, yes, yes! Amanda now has the ability to block off her work schedule so she doesn’t miss out on precious family time – her priority in life! For example, she can attend her children’s school events and appointments, and she even shifts to shorter hours in the summer to be home with them more. She makes smart choices with her expenses, and of course it’s nice being able to retain all of her own earnings. She has faced unique hardships as a woman in this role, such as not being able to work immediately following childbirth. Not working during that time meant no income was coming in for the family. But with careful planning, she has been able to simultaneously achieve her goals in both her career and family life. She is quite the inspiration and the perfect example to prove to young girls that they really can have it all!
This article was written during the GWS Summer Writing Workshop. Taught by the GWS Publication Team, the workshop hosted young journalists in grades 1 through 12, each with a passion for writing and learning. Over five weeks throughout the summer, students brainstormed, researched, outlined, drafted, revised, and ultimately produced an article about a topic related to women in business. Learn more about the workshop here.
